1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to shaving apparatuses, and, more particularly, to shaving apparatuses having pivot-actuated valves through which shaving aid material can be delivered.
2. Background Information
The process of removing hair from a skin surface typically includes the application of a shaving aid material to the skin surface and the separate step of shaving the hair from the skin surface using a safety razor. Safety razors typically include a disposable razor cartridge mounted in a reusable handle or a handle and cartridge combined into a unitary disposable unit. Most razor cartridges include a frame, at least one razor blade, and a member that includes an additional shaving aid material attached to the frame. The additional shaving aid material typically includes at least one suitable agent (e.g., a lubricating agent, a drag-reducing agent, a depilatory agent, etc.) that enhances the shaving process.
Shaving aid materials applied in preparation for shaving are generally soap-based compositions that are lathered and applied to the skin surfaces. The compositions may be pre-lathered and applied as creams, or they may be in bar form and rubbingly applied to the skin surfaces by the person shaving. For applications of either creams or bars, the application of the shaving aid and the actual shaving of hair from the skin surface are executed in separate steps.
The commercial success of a razor assembly depends upon the ease with which a shaving process using the razor assembly can be executed. In particular, the application of the shaving aid material and the actual shaving of the hair in separately executed steps oftentimes adversely affects the overall efficiency of the shaving process. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus capable of delivering the shaving aid material and executing a shaving operation in a single step.